How to Set Up Parental Controls and Screen Time Limits on a Phone

Published 2026-10-16 · Marion Phone Repair

Your child has a phone and you want to control what they can access, how long they can use it, and what happens when the time limit is reached. Both Android and iPhone have built-in parental control systems that let you set screen time limits, block or restrict apps, filter web content, control purchases, and track location — all without installing third-party software. Here is how to set up each platform's parental controls from scratch.

iPhone: Screen Time

Apple's parental control system is called Screen Time. You can configure it directly on the child's iPhone or remotely from your own iPhone using Family Sharing.

Set up Family Sharing first

On your iPhone, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, then Family Sharing
Tap Add Member and follow the prompts to add your child. If your child is under 13, you can create a child Apple ID as part of this process
Once your child is in your Family Sharing group, you can manage their Screen Time settings remotely from your own device

Configure Screen Time

On your iPhone, go to Settings, Screen Time
Tap your child's name under Family
Tap Turn On Screen Time and follow the setup wizard

Key Screen Time settings

Downtime: Set a schedule when the phone is locked down. Only apps you specifically allow (and phone calls) work during downtime. Most parents set this for bedtime through morning — for example, 9 PM to 7 AM. The child sees a time limit screen on blocked apps and can request more time (which you approve or deny from your phone)
App Limits: Set daily time limits for categories of apps (Social, Games, Entertainment) or for specific individual apps. When the time runs out, the app shows a limit screen. You can set different limits for different categories — for example, 1 hour for Games but 30 minutes for Social Media
Communication Limits: Control who the child can call, text, and FaceTime with during allowed time and during downtime. You can restrict communication to contacts only (no unknown numbers) or to specific approved contacts
Always Allowed: Apps that are always accessible even during downtime or after limits are reached. Phone, Messages, Maps, and any educational apps you want available at all times
Content and Privacy Restrictions: This is the most detailed section. Turn it on and configure:

iTunes and App Store Purchases: Prevent installing or deleting apps, and require your password for purchases
Allowed Apps: Hide built-in apps entirely (Safari, Camera, FaceTime, etc.)
Content Restrictions: Set age ratings for movies, TV shows, apps, and books. Limit explicit music and podcast content. Set web content filtering to Limit Adult Websites or Allowed Websites Only (the most restrictive — only sites you specifically add are accessible)
Privacy: Prevent changes to Location Services, Contacts, Photos, and other privacy settings
Allow Changes: Lock down specific settings so the child cannot change them — passcode, account settings, cellular data, volume limits, and more

Set a Screen Time passcode

This is critical. The Screen Time passcode prevents the child from changing or disabling the restrictions. When setting up Screen Time for a child through Family Sharing, you are prompted to create this passcode. Use a different passcode than your phone unlock code — children are observant and may learn your main passcode by watching you type it.

Android: Family Link

Google's parental control system is called Family Link. It works on Android phones and tablets and gives you control from the Family Link app on your own phone.

Set up Family Link

Install the Google Family Link app on your phone (parent) from the Play Store
Open Family Link and follow the prompts to add your child. If your child is under 13, you can create a supervised Google account for them. If they already have a Google account, they can consent to supervision
On the child's phone, sign in with the child's Google account. Family Link supervision activates automatically

Key Family Link settings

Screen time limits: Set a daily time limit (for example, 2 hours per day). You can set different limits for different days of the week (more time on weekends, less on school nights). When the limit is reached, the phone locks — only emergency calls work
Bedtime: Set a time when the phone locks for the night. The phone becomes unusable until the morning unlock time. This is separate from the daily limit
App management: Approve or block individual apps. When the child tries to install an app from the Play Store, you receive a notification on your phone to approve or deny it. You can also block apps that are already installed
Google Play restrictions: Set content ratings for apps, games, movies, TV, books, and music. This prevents the child from viewing or downloading content above the rating you set
Web filtering: Block explicit sites through Google Chrome. You can choose to try to block mature sites (automated filtering) or only allow specific sites that you approve (most restrictive). This only works in Chrome — if the child uses a different browser, install and configure filtering in that browser too, or block other browsers entirely
Location: See the child's phone location on a map in real time from the Family Link app
App activity: See how much time the child spends in each app, which apps they use most, and which apps they recently installed

Per-app time limits

In addition to the overall daily screen time limit, Family Link lets you set time limits on individual apps. Open Family Link on your phone, tap your child's profile, go to App limits, and set a daily limit for specific apps. This is useful for allowing educational apps unlimited time while restricting game time.

What parental controls cannot do

Understanding the limitations helps you set realistic expectations:

They are not foolproof. A determined teenager can find workarounds — factory resetting the phone, using a friend's phone, using a VPN to bypass web filters, or finding unfiltered browsers. Parental controls are a tool, not a substitute for conversation about responsible phone use
Web filtering is imperfect. Automated content filters catch most explicit content but miss some and occasionally block legitimate sites. Review the blocked site list periodically if your child reports that educational sites are being blocked
App-based content is harder to filter. Parental controls can block an app entirely, but they cannot filter what appears within an app. For example, you can block TikTok, but you cannot allow TikTok while filtering specific types of content within it. Content moderation within apps is handled by the app itself, not by the phone's parental controls
SMS and phone calls have limited controls. You can restrict who a child can call or text on iPhone, but on Android the options are more limited. Neither platform can filter the content of text messages

Age-appropriate settings suggestions

Ages 6 to 9: Allowed Websites Only, no app installation without approval, no social media, 1 hour daily limit, bedtime lock at 7 PM, location tracking on
Ages 10 to 12: Filtered web browsing (block adult content), app installation with approval, limited social media (if any — many platforms require age 13), 1.5 to 2 hours daily, bedtime lock at 8 to 9 PM
Ages 13 to 15: Filtered browsing, app installation with notification (not necessarily approval), agreed-upon social media apps, 2 to 3 hours daily, bedtime lock at 9 to 10 PM, begin transitioning toward trust and self-management

Parental controls help in Marion

If you need help setting up parental controls, screen time limits, or content filtering on your child's phone, Marion Phone Repair can configure everything for you, walk you through how to manage it from your own phone, and make sure the settings are working correctly before you leave.